The Place I Belong
by Orpheus Kidwell
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto hasn't felt the same since his mother died over two years ago. His father neglects him in favor of is elder sister, Mito, and nothing is right. The only things he has are kendo taught by his mother and the new game his mother's friend let him Beta. When he's in SAO... it's the place he belongs. Neglected!Strong!Smart!Naruto. Very AU. NarutoxSuguha.
1. Prologue

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya guys! Got another new one for all of you. I really shouldn't, but when my muse throws an idea on me I have to write it and post or I can't write anything else.**

**Where did this come from though? My first official crossover fic. Simple really.**

**One of my friends told me to watch Sword Art Online. I did. I fell in love with it. And then... a few ideas sprouted in my head. This is one.**

**I may eventually do the others, but I very much liked this one the best of all. So... this is it.**

**A warning to the masses, this is a Modern!Naruto story, but not all Naruto characters will appear in this fice quite yet, if any. I'm still undecided. Anyways, this will be pretty AU from canon SAO and you'll see why.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Prologue**

_Sword Art Online..._

_It was just the first of a long line of VRMMORPG's, Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. It was the pioneering achievement of one Akihiko Kayaba, a truew engineering and gaming genius._

_As with all such games of the MMO genre, betas were chosen. These thousand players were lucky enough to be able to play the game first with no competition and gained the greatest advantage there could be in battle. Knowledge._

_Now, in the year 2022 at precisely 13:00 on the eleventh day of June, it launched._

_And none of the over ten thousand players or Japan itself knew just how much effect it would have._

Uzumaki Naruto regarded the helmet in his hand with a smile. The NerveGear headset... it was already powered on and ready to use. He just had to wait a little longer.

A little longer to get back in the world where he didn't have to be ignored...

The teenager clenched his violet orbs tight and strained to keep the tears back. He looked at the mirror in his room and regarded himself. Why did his tou-san hate him so? Why... what did he do?

Was it because he looked like...

The boy saw his features clearly. Violet eyes and spikes of blood-red hair that were similar to the late Uzumaki Kushina who was heralded the Japanese kendo champion three years in a row before she fell in love with the Argus CEO Namikaze Minato.

Their first child was Namikaze Mito, named after Kushina's guardian after most of her family was horrifically murdered by Yakuza from the Kumo, Iwa and Kiri prefectures while thy had a family reunion in the Uzshio prefecture.

Mito was currently seventeen and an absolute 'perfect child' as far as Minato was concerned. Her College Entrance Exams had been perfect scores and she was already finished with her second year.

Naruto...

He was her second child. While Minato doted on Mito, Naruto and Kushina shared a special bond. Not just as mother and son... but as sensei and student and as best friends. She was the one person Naruto could turn to for anything.

And she died thirty months ago in a plane crash that landed in a large forest, setting it ablaze. Her corpse was never recovered, one of six still missing bodies, but what could be done? They probably were incinerated in the fire.

Naruto had lost interest in most things after that, crying himself to sleep every night. His grades fell to barely passing until he met one of his mother's friends she talked of often. Kayaba Akihiko.

Kushina had been one of twelve kendo masters which helped Kayaba design the style of fighting for his games. Kendo had also been the one thing Naruto kept up through his depression. He continued his practicing so he could hold onto his precious mother's memory longer.

Akihiko had sought out Naruto after the boy had won the middle school regional tournament, barely beating another protegee by the name of Kirigaya Suguha in the quarterfinal round. The man decided to see what Kushina's son was capable of.

That's when Naruto was made one of the 1000 closed beta testers of SAO. A role he took to quite spectacularly. He had cleared the first ten floors solo after overtraining at each floor and in each dungeon before the boss. He memorized the attack patterns and locations of the best monsters in each floor. He had thrown himself into the world of SAO more immensely than Akihiko thought possible.

But... why?

Naruto needed escape. Akihiko gave him that.

The Namikaze household did not welcome Uzumaki Naruto. It was a sad fact he had come to terms with. Mito had never really been sisterly towards him since he started middle school and his tou-san stopped acknowledging him after his kaa-chan's death.

But in the world of Sword Art Online, while he was on that steel castle floating in the sky, he was somebody. He... wasn't lonely or empty. It was as if- even for just a small while- he could have that feeling he lost since his kaa-san left.

Naruto laid on the bed and placed the NerveGear atop his head. The HUD (Heads Up Display) showed the time as 12:59. The fourteen year old boy smiled to himself lightly as he felt the necklace he always wore in his fingers. It was a small ruby circle with a spiral design that his kaa-chan had given to him on his twelfth birthday, the last birthday he'd had while she still lived.

"Maybe I can finally be somewhere else... maybe this will be the place I belong." The HUD showed the time change to 13:00 and around Japan 10,000+ players spoke the same two words. "Link start!"

**Well? Was the prologue any good? I hope so.**

**Just tell me what you think... and the pairing's a secret!**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter I

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya! Here's the next chapter of the forty-fifth fic in this crossover category. Hope you like it.**

**And it is much longer than last one.**

**Chapter I: The Game of Death**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online.**

Aincrad was a beautiful world. The detail was immensely realistic and precise. Even just the Town of Beginnings was amazing. Naruto sighed happily as he- and thousands of others- warped into the game all at once. This... this was an amazing feeling.

Quickly, he decided to check something out. He opened his menu and smiled. "Back to Level 1, eh?" He asked no one in particular. "Oh well. I'll survive." Naruto grinned and looked into the reflecting waters ofmthe central fountain of town. He saw a face with violet eyes and red hair, but his hair was straight, down to his shoulder and the angles were much more like his mother's than his father's.

He also saw a hilt poking up from his right shoulder. The hilt of a sword-type passed through the Uzumaki family since the feudal era... the o-katana. It was a tough blade to master, tougher than many others. Akihiko Kayaba had made a promise to Naruto though.

As long as Naruto played SAO, no one besides him could use his family's blade.

He even got a special skill tree called Uzumaki Blood. He hadn't been allowed to use it during beta though. Just like the 'bosses' he fought were actually weaker versions of the real ones. The beta didn't have everything, but the attack patterns would stay the same.

He took a look at his inventory and smiled when he saw a particular item. Uzumaki Spiral Necklace. The man's word had been kept once more. Naruto had asked for his necklace in the game and didn't care one way or another if it had any special abilities or boosts or anything. He just needed his mother's necklace.

Quickly, he equipped it and felt the smooth ruby in his hands, the indentations of he spiral rubbing against his thumb. He then stood up and turned, ready to head out. He walked with purpose as he already knew this town inside and out.

Just then, he heard something though. "Hey you!" The redhead stopped and turned his head slightly, seeing another player behind him. The person was panting slightly as she stood up.

She was blonde with a high, thick pony tail and two short braids hanging on either side of jer face with deep green eyes. Idly, Naruto noted the weapon she wore, a regular katana. Clothes didn't matter since all new players were assigned the same clothes to start with-depending on gender- just different color schemes.

"Me?" Naruto asked curiously as he turned around to regard her. She studied him before nodding.

"That sword, it's a rare type. How did you get it? Don't you know what family it belongs to?" The girl asked. She wasn't necessarily being rude, it was curiosity.

Naruto smiled and unsheathed his blade. It was a low-level blade now, just a starting sword. Tue hilt was red, the guard as well and the blade was a silver one over five feet in length. "I know exactly what family it belongs to." Naruto said before resheathing it. He looked at her. "You know a lot about swords if you can discern an o-katana from a normal one. Why don't we party up?" He asked. The blonde looked at him before nodding.

"I want to see if you're good with that sword. Plus... it would be better to learn the game if I was safely protected by someone else." Naruto smiled at her and she smiled back as well before he opened his menu.

The girl suddenly saw a pop-up which said 'Naruto invites you to join his party. Do you accept?' The mysterious girl's eyes widened but she quickly schooled her features as she hit the O to accept. Her redheaded partner smiled and motioned her to follow him. The blondehad a single thought. **It's just a coincidence.**

**Floor 1- Town of Beginnings, Eastern Field**

Congratulations!

"Great job." Naruto said with a smile. "That's pretty much all I can teach you. Though... I'd say you're probably skilled enough to forgo the sword skills until higher levels." The girl blushed a little.

"What about you?" She asked. Naruto smirked and looked around before seeing another boar.

"IRL, I'm the regional middle school champion of kendo. I plan on taking that title from high schoolers as well when I take my entrance exam after Summer's over. These level one skills are so simple and practically second nature by now."

And with that, the boy grabbed the hilt of his blade and rushed forward, unsheathing his o-katana amd slashing through the boar in one movement, making it explode and give him experience, col and a potion drop.

The blonde girl's eyes widened as she looked at him coming back. "Don't feel bad." The redhead said while placing his hand on her head. "I've been practicing kendo since I could walk. That's no reason for you to be upset with yourself though. I can help you out... we're a party right?"

The girl nodded her head. Naruto didn't realize why her eyes were wide though. **I-it's him! He seems different though... nothing like at school. Why is that? And he doesn't seem to know who I am yet...**

She smiled. "Can we keep going?" Naruto nodded with a grin.

"Sure thing, Nami-chan." He replied. "Let's keep going."

**Five Hours Later**

"And another one down." Naruto said with a grin as a boar exploded. He sheathed his sword and turned to the blonde in his party. "Level Four after five hours... not bad." He commented to himself.

"Hey, I've got to go." Nami said. "It'll be dinnertime soon."

Naruto sighed. "Sure. Just sucks that the food here only satisfies our virtual self." He said. Nami smiled.

"I'll be back later on. Here, friend me and I'll message you when I get back." Naruto nodded and accepted the friend request she sent him. "That's strange..."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"The logout button... it isn't here."

"Sure it is." Naruto opened his menu and went to logout, but his hand stopped. "It's not..." The redhead smiled, regardless. "Well, I'm sure it's just a bug. The GM will notice and the admins will fix it." He said.

"Right..." Nami sighed. "I guess one or two bugs will be expected, right?"

"Sure. Just like in any MMO. That's what I hear anyways."

"You not a big gamer either, then?" Nami asked.

"No. My kaa-chan's friend got me this game and the headset though. I figured I'd try a game where I could use my kendo, you know?"

"Me... my brother is always playing these games and I wanted to see what the fuss was. I as hoping to find a way for us to bond over gaming. He was a beta for this game..."

"Well... here's to the two non-gamers of SAO." Naruto said while holding out his sword and Nami smiled before tapping her katana against his o-katana.

Suddenly, the pair reappeared in the Town of Beginnings though. They looked around the place and saw others do the same. "Well... I think cramped is an understatement here." Naruto said. "Why'd we all teleport here without a stone?"

"I think... we're about to find out." Nami replied as the sky suddenly turned red with tue words 'Warning' and 'System Announcement' all over. A figure dressed in a red cloak with the hood up to cover his face appeared then which towered over all of them and had his arms spread wide.

**"Atttention players." **He spoke. **"Welcome to my world."**

"'My world?'" Naruto asked. "This is Ahikiko-san's world..."

**"I am Akihiko Kayaba."**

Naruto's eyes widened. He looked at the figure. **What are you doing, Akihiko-san?**

**"I'm sure many of you have already noticed that the logout button is missing but this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out yourselves and no one on the outside can remove the Nerve Gear headset."**

**A-akahiko-san! This...**

**"If it is removed, the Nerve Gear will emit a microwave into your skull and fry your brain completely, killing you."**

"He's kidding... right?" Nami asked.

"Akahiko-san is right... theoretically. The NerveGear is capable of releasing a microwave strong enough to destroy the brain." An image flashed in Naruto's mind of Akahiko showing him one safety measure of the headsets. "There's a safety on each NerveGear to limit the power in the electomagnetic waves used to trick your brain into seeing the VR here in SAO. If the safety is disabled remotely, or triggered to be removed, it is plausible it could happen."

"What if we just wait for them to run out of battery?"

"The internal battery runs on nuclear energy and we'd die of old age before that happened."

"This... it's all crazy!"

**"Unfortunately the friends and families of some players have ignored this warning andnas a result two hundred and thirteen players have been permanently removed from both Aincrad and the real world. As you can see, news organizations around the world are covering these events, including the deaths."**

Naruto saw the multiple windows come up and he saw his father in an interview. Argus would lose big on this... but the chances of his tou-san caring about him more than the company weren't good in his eyes.

**"The chances of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope this will allow you to relax and clear the game.**

**"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method which to revive a plaer within the game. If your HP drops to 0 then your avatar will be frever lost. Simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."**

Naruto's eyes widened considerably at that fact and he felt his breth hitch. Henglanced at his new friend, Nami, and saw the terror in her eyes. Steeling himself, Naruto reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled to her. Nami seemed to calm a little then.

**"There is now only one means of escape. You must complete the game." **A three-dimensional diagram then appearedof the tower. **"You are currently on the lowest level of Aincrad, level 1. Make it through the dungeon and defeat the boss to get to the next level. Once the boss of the hundredth floor has been defeated... the game is over and all players will be logged out."**

"Beat the game..." Naruto mumbled. "Akihiko-san..."

"All hundred floors, that's impossible." Nami said.

"We have to, Nami-chan." Naruto said while clenching his fist. "It's the only way."

**"Finally... I've added a present from me to each of your item storages."**

Naruto opened his inventory and saw the new item, mirror. He took it and looked in it. Suddenly he was blinded by a flash of light and when it ended, he looked in the mirror to see his face. His face from real life! "Are you okay, Naruto?"

Naruto turned around to talk to Nami but stopped in his tracks. "S-suguha-san?" He looked around and saw others also confused. "Y-you're Nami-chan?" Suguha nodded and looked at the redhead who defeated her in the Regional tournament.

"I thought you were Naruto... but how?"

"The NerveGear scans your facial structure when you put it on." Naruto said. "And when you calibrate it you have to touch all over your body. That's how it knew what we looked like. But... I didn't think you were the type for this game, Suguha-san." Suguha sighed.

"Why can't you go back to the way before? I liked you better when you were happy." She said. "And I told you, I wanted to surprise my brother and bond through the game."

"That makes sense..." Naruto shook his head. "But why would Akihiko-san go to all this trouble." The newly revealed Suguha pointed to said Game Master.

"I think he's about to tell us."

**"I'm sure you're all wondering 'why?' Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I made this all for one reason: to create this world and to intervene in it."**

"Akihiko-san..."

**"And now... it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck players!" **As the playeds watched, the cloaked GM began to liquefy into red ooze before defying gravity and disappearing into the still red sky which turned normal once more as he left.

Naruto could hear everyone mumbling and fearful... screams... insanity. He clenched his fists and suddenly turned around, walking at a brisk pace and finding his way to an alley which would lead out of town. "Naruto!" He stopped mid-step and turned his head to regard Suguha. Her short, black hair fell not a single strand on her face and her deep blue eyes were nothing like the ones his tou-san used to ignore him.

"Suguha-san." Naruto replied. "I thought you would've gone to find Kirigaya Kazuto-san."

"He doesn't know I'm here... and I'll bet he'll be gone far before I even get a clue to his whereabouts." She looked down and held her hands together, a light tinge of pink to her cheeks. "I... I was wondering if you would still let me join you." That's when Naruto remembered they were in a party.

The redhead smiled slightly. "I don't know... you lost pretty badly to me IRL... you might not be that strong." He turned around. "But... I can't have my only... friend dying. I guess I'll just have to teach you how to be a proper swordsman." He began walking when Suguha finally caught up.

"Arigatō, Naruto." She said. Naruto shrugged.

"A solo player can only do so much Suguha..." he glanced sidelong at her, "chan." The girl smiled slightly.

Naruto thought now that he finally had someone who wouldn't ignore him.. maybe he had a place to belong.

**Alrighty! That's all for this chapter, dear readers!**

**Since some people don't know how to be silent about the pairing (you know who you are!) I decided to reveal it now. It is obviously NarutoxSuguha.**

**Also, while Kirito will be in here, Naruto is the protaganist and as such shall take Kirito's place in a few areas. Where does that include? Just wait to find out.**

**Also his unique skillset, the Uzumaki Blood, I'll explain it further in future chapters. I would've used chakra... but that's too easy and way too overused. Not to mention there's no magic in SAO.**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter II

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya all! Orpheus is back with what I am quickly finding is one of my favorite stories I've ever written.**

**I also love how supportive everyone is of this fic. You guys are so awesome!**

**Anyways, I shall clarify something. Since this is a crossover, I will be using SOME Naruto characters in Aincrad and ALO arcs of the story. I'm not too sure which ones, but we'll see, right?**

**Anyways, let's begin.**

**Chapter II:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online.**

**Floor 1, Two Weeks since Launch**

"Naruto! Switch!" Suguha shouted as she blocked a slash from a Level 9 Goblin who wore a decent amount of armor, a shield and wielded a slim, scimitar-like blade with saw-blade teeth on one end. The redhead dashed forward and jumped over both his ravenette partner and the goblin before beheading it from behind, causing it to explode.

He spun his o-katana once before placing it back in its scabbard. "And another one bites the dust." He said with a smile. "Our teamwork is nearly perfect, Sugu-chan." The black-haired preteen smiled back as she sheathed her katana on her hip.

Suguha was rather happy about the whole situation, despite everything. In two weeks, Naruto had warmed up to her. When around others he was still kind of formal… but at least out here she knew she could trust him with her life and she knew that no matter what they were now friends. It didn't hurt that he'd been teaching her a little more kendo. The two hardly ever used sword skills except as a last resort. "Right, Naruto-kun" she agreed. "And look… we finally reached Level 12. This forest is great… I can't believe no one else is here."

"This forest is a sort of… mini-dungeon, you could say." He replied as he opened his menu and took out two apples, throwing one to Sugu. "I don't know if anyone knows about it besides me. I found it during my Beta test. I couldn't enter earlier though because it was a Level 10 area and I kept dying. By the time I was able to come back and go through it, I was already at much higher floors and forgot about it."

"If it's a mini-dungeon… shouldn't there be a mini-boss here and a few rare items? I know our equipment is pretty good… but maybe we should try and get the better equipment here?" Naruto took a bite as he pondered Sugu's question.

"It might be a good idea. And if something drops which we can't use, we can always sell it and use the money to get something better."

"Right. Should we do it then?" Naruto shrugged and tossed his apple core away and it exploded.

"Sure, why not? Maybe I'll finally be able to activate the second tier of my Uzumaki Blood."

"That's right… you unlocked the first skill… Clan Bonds, right?"

"Yep, as long as I'm with another user of a katana-type weapon my attack and speed increase. I think the whole skill tree has ten abilities, but I've spent my upgrade points elsewhere. I really needed to increase my speed and strength for the o-katana." He began to walk and Suguha quickly follow, each taking out their swords.

Uzumaki Naruto and Kirigaya Suguha had been within the world of Sword Art Online for two weeks. Two weeks of training. Two weeks of fighting. Two weeks of only going into towns for rest and to buy new equipment when they got the money. Their stats were pretty good for being a team of two without a guild. Neither had maxed anything out, but they just barely reached the twelfth level, so what could one expect?

The two player team walked along a forest road flanked by trees on either side as the redhead led the way. "The mini-dungeon is actually a quest." Naruto said. "There's a quest NPC up ahead who was robbed by bandits and they fled into an ancient temple."

"So... we're fighting human foes?"

"Not really. There's some monsters in there too. I usually died in the first five minutes, but I've seen bandits, bats, giant rats, wolves and goblins. I have no idea what the boss is though."

"Well... we've got teleport stones, right? Plus, our stats are pretty good between our weapons and armor."

"Have a potion just in case." Naruto warned. Sugu nodded and took one from her inventory and put it in her pouch. Just then, an NPC with an question mark over their head came into view. It was an older man with long grey hair and blue eyes wearing a brown shirt and pants. Above his head it said Jimaru.

The two came in front of him and a window popped up in front of Naruto. 'Would you like to start the Temple of the Forest quest?' Naruto chose yes and Jimaru began speaking.

"Please! You've got to help me! Bandits are inside the temple there and they stole my bag! It has the ruby inside I need to sell to hire a healer for my sick grandson!" Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Of course we'll help you." He said. "Just wait right here."

"Thank you! I will give you a reward if you bring it back to me!"

The duo walked inside the temple. It looked to be deteriorting on the outside and was completely white. Once inside, Suguha's eyes widened. It was huge!

"Okay, the monsters here should be pretty weak. They're all seven or eight, so we'll have no trouble. Just stick together and we'll make it out without a problem." Sugu nodded and the two held their blades, tense for battle.

The location they were at split into a lower floor, a higher floor and a hallway forward. "Well?" Suguha asked. Naruto pondered the problem and sighed.

"This wasn't here last time." Suguha's eyes widened.

"WHAT!"

"It may not be such a problem." He said. "I'm sure there hasn't been much change here. Why don't we go to the lower floor first? It was lit last time and full of low-level rats."

Down the stairs they went and oddly enough, the lighting didn't change. Or not so odd, considering that the stairway had torches. Naruto grabbed one of the torches and walked further down until the stairs ended.

On the floor, the torch gave light in about fifteen feet around it and that showed the pair a sight that was not something they needed to see. No less than twenty level seven rats the size of dogs. And behind them... then stairs were covered by a door. "A trap." Naruto sighed. "Also notmhere in the beta."

"I really hate Akihiko Kayaba right now." Sugu said. "Think we can take them?"

"Only one way to find out." Naruto replied. He immediately dashed forward and slashed low, killing a rat and he swung the torch to knock another who jumped at him into a wall, causing it to explode. Suguha appeared on his left and stabbed another in the head even as it jumped.

Naruto dropped the torch to the floor, knowing it would stay lit up. He then slashed and killed one more of the mob of enemies before ducking another one's jump and letting Sugu take it out. He reached into his pouch and pulled out three of his chosen ranged blade, shuriken. It was a weapon of the ancient ninja clans, but somehow he found them easy to use.

With a swipe of his hand, Naruto released the star-like steel blades and three more explosions took place before Suguha quickly stood in front of him to intercept another two of the creatures from attacking him.

He turned so they were back-to-back and chuckled. "This is actually fun." He said.

"You're insane Naruto-kun!" She replied even as they dispatched the rodents. Soon, just one was left and the team stabbed simulataneously, dispatching it.

Suguha sighed and turned to Naruto. "I was here in the beta, it should be easy!" Her voice was full of sarcasm. "Yeah, totally easy!" She continued on. "Why do I even listen to you?"

"Because... we just leveled up?" He asked. Suguha's eyes widened and she realized he was right. She quickly opened her menu and looked at her stats. "You are forgiven... for now." She said and spent her newly acquired upgrade points on her stats.

Naruto, meanwhile, checked his inventory for the drops. Mostly just a few potions, some col... "Well, that's cool." He said and took a ring from his inventory, checking its stat boosts. A five point bonus to agility. Turning it around, he saw it aas completely black with an ancient Norse sigil on the inside. "Sugu-chan?" She looked at him as he threw her the ring. "Equip that. You need the speed boost more than me."

Her eyes widened. "But... it's yours."

"And I'm giving it to you." He replied. The stairway cleared up then. "Let's head up." Suguha nodded after she placed the ring on her right third finger. "The dungeon's not big, so let's just head upstairs to the first floor."

They made it up there and to Suguha it seemed quiet. "I thought you said this place was a level ten dungeon? Where are the monsters?"

"There were plenty last time." Naruto said. "I don't..." his eyes suddenly widened and he held his sword out just above Suguha's head, blocking a downward slash of a broadsword which nearly killed her. "Someone else is here. A red player."

Suguha quickly jumped back from the player with a red crystal above his head as Naruto joined beside her. "He's a PK." Naruto said. The person was pale-skinned with dull red hair, brown eyes and a tattoo on his forehead that was the kanji for 'Love'. His eyes had enormous bags under them, almost like the rings around a raccoon's eyes.

"Mother wants your blood..." the boy said.

"He must be one of the ones who turned insane, Naruto-kun."

"You're right, Sugu-chan." Naruto agreed and took up a defensive stance until he got an estimate of this boy's power. "I would rather not kill another player... but if it can't be helped..."

"Prove my existence!" The other boy yelled even as he rushed forwad and his sword glowed a dull brown, like sand. Naruto parried the blow easily and sidestepped the boy even as Suguha stabbed his stomach and both of them jumped back.

"Do not make us kill you. We are both more than skilled enough to take you on." The raccoon-esque boy simply turned and lunged forward with craze deep in his eyes. Suguha slashed upward, knocking the blade from his hand and Naruto caught it, using both to slash in an X across the boy's chest and kicking him backwards into a wall. His HP was 80% gone.

"What should we do, Naruto-kun?" Suguha asked.

"I think I know." He replied. The boy looked unconscious and so Naruto walked forward and checked through his pouch, finding a teleport stone. "Teleport, Town of Beginnings." He quickly tossed the stone and broadsword to Gaara's lap. He disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"So... he cleared this dungeon alone?" Suguha asked.

"Looks like it. All that's left is... the mini-boss."

"He'll have the NPC's bag, huh?" Naruto nodded and led her forward. They stayed on the first floor and eventually came to a large stone double door.

"Two level thirteens against a level ten opponent. No problem." He told her and placed a hand in the preteens shoulder while smiling. "We'll be fine." Suguha smiled back.

"O-okay, Naruto-kun." She said with a small smile. "Just make sure you don't die." She said. "Who will teach me kendo then?"

"Don't worry. Only one dying will be the guy through this door." Naruto said and pushed open the door to reveal an open chamber lit by torches and the sunlight the windows allowed in. In the very center was what appeared to be a giant bat eating the body of abandit with a brown bag in its claws. It turned and red eyes shone.

Above its head, the words 'Temple Terror' appeared and a bar of HP and another half bar appeared by it. It let loose a screech which shook the entire room and the bandit exploded, signifying his death. "I think... this will either be very scary, or very fun." Naruto said.

"You're insane..." Suguha said as she gripped her sword tightly. "A great swordsman, but insane." Without hesitation, the team of two then dashed forward fast enough to seem a blur and slashed into the beast from two sides, reducing one of its bars to a third.

It screamed in pain and flew straight up before diving down at them. Naruto rolled away and Suguha used her recently increased speed to jump back while slashing downward, decreasing the partia bar to red. She landed and had to quickly jump to the side to avoid the bat's barreling speed. Naruto tossed a few shuriken to get the bat's attention and sent its top bar firther down.

It flew up and dove at Naruto again. The redhead rolled forward, under its claws, and slashed at its back as he stood but couldn't move fast enough to evade the bat's wing sending him back into a wall and depleting his HP by ten percent. "Can't take many of those..." Naruto said with a sigh. He stood and saw Suguha dodging wing swipes from the large beast and suddenly he grinned.

"Sugu-chan! Switch!" He dashed forward and Sugu jumped back as he jumped up and landed on the monser's head before flipping forward and stabbing the monster's back and kickingg the beast forward while taking his o-katana out. He landed on his feet just as Suguha slashed upward, gouging the bat's front and performing a backflip to kick it up and the two players tensed before jumping up.

Both reached the beast at the same time and stabbed upward before Naruto and Suguha's hands found each other and they kicked forward again, slashing in an X before the monster was out of reach and landed on their feet.

The explosion told them what they needed to know. Both of their windows popped up and showed something interesting. 'Combination Attack Bonus Item: Cloak of the Red Dawn'. They looked at each other and grinned. "We did it!" Suguha said and jumped forward, hugging her friend tightly around the neck.

Naruto was a bit surprised, but he returned the hug after a moment. "It was just a mini-boss... but the first step, Sugu-chan. We can beat this game and Akihiko-san." Naruto said confidently. "We can do it."

**What'd you think?**

**I wasn't too sure myself... this chapter wasn't one of my best. I needed something between the launch and the beater episode though, and this will help explain some things for next chapter.**

**Please tell me what you guys think?**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	4. Chapter III

**The Place I Belong**

**Well, Orpheus is back again with another update to this fic. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Chapter III: Worse than a Beta**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online.**

One month has passed in the game. In that time, two thousand people have died. However, in that time, no one has been able to clear the first floor. I was a beta tester, but Akihiko seems to have changed many things since then. Not even I know where the boss room is. Today... we're finally holding a meeting on how to defeat the first floor boss.

Many people are gathered in a colliseum-like building with some in the stands spread out and one guy at the very bottom with blue hair, a sword and shield. Said guy clapped before speaking. "Alright everyone, let's get started! Thank you for coming today! My name is Diabel and my job is Knight."

"There's no job system in this game!" One player announced.

"A knight?" Another mumbled.

Diabel continued. "Today our party found the boss room at the top of the tower!" He announced. "We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone in the Town of Beginnings it is possible to beat this game!" His voice was fiery and passionate. "Do you all agree?" He asked.

The players looked to each other in the stands and one by one they nodded. "Ruto-kun?" A female asked. She was dressed in a black cloak with red clouds and had a wide-brimmed, conical hat on as well as a black ring on her third finger of her right hand. On her hip was a sheathed katana.

"We should help them." The other player said. He was a boy and wore the same cloak and hat, a spiral ruby necklace and an o-katana on his back. "There's only so much the two of us can do, so we should help on the bosses when everyone attacks at once, Sugu-chan."

"We're in public, Ruto-kun, use my avatar's name."

"Fine, Nami-chan."

After everyone finished clapping, Diabel began once more. "Alright then, let us begin our planning. First, divide into parties of six, a normal party has no chance against a floor boss." The two cloaked players looked at each other.

"Well, Nami-chan?"

"Someone else would just ruin the team techniques we've discovered."

"I'll be th leader. We need to form a raid group of multiple parties to do this. Has everyone formed their groups?" Diabel asked. "Then-"

"Just a second!" Someone announced. It was a guy with spiked orange hair who began jumping down the bleacher stairs until he was in front of Diabel. "My name's Kibaō. I wanna say something before we take on the boss." He turned to the other players in the stands. "Some of you here need to apologize to the tw thousand players who have died so far!"

"Kibaō-san, are you referring to the beta testers?" Diabel asked.

"On the day this thing started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they disappeared." Kibaō explained. "They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves so only they could level up. I bet someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize and give up all the money and items they've hoarded. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party member!" He crossed his arms.

"This guy can't be serious..." Suguha asked with a sweatdrop. "Doesn't he know how long it took us to get all our stuff?"

"Not like anyone can even use my sword, anyways." Naruto pointed out. "This guy must be absolutely nuts."

"May I speak?" Someone stood up. It was a dark-skinned giant of a man with an ax strapped to his back. He mae his way down to Kibaō who's eyes widened. "My name is Egil. Kibaō-san, please tell me if I've got this right. Because the beta testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize and provide compensation. Am I correct?"

"Y-yeah." The smaller man replied. Egil took out a book, small and leatherbound.

"You got this guidebook at the beginning, right? They were given away at the shops for free."

"Sure I did... why?"

"It was compiled of information given by the beta testers." Egil turned around. "Listen!" He told the other players. "Everyone had equal access to this information. And still, many people died. I thought the topic of this meeting was what we can learn from those deaths and how we can use it to help us defeat the boss."

This made Kibaō sit down and Egil sat next to him. "Then, can we resume?" Diabel asked. "The latest edition of the guidebook was just released and it contains information on how to defeat the boss." He began reading out loud. "According to it, the name of the boss is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He is guarded by his assistants called Ruin Kobold Sentinels. He is armed with an ax and a buckler. He has four health bars and when the last one reaches red, he switches to a curved sword-type called a Talwar. His attack pattern changes as well. This concludes the briefing.

"Lastly, items will be automatically distributed. EXP will go to the party who defeats the monster. Items will be kept by the player who receives them. Any objections?" There were none. "We leave tomorrow morning at ten! See you then!" Players started to get up and the two cloaked ones did as well.

They also stood and left.

Soon, the duo were back in the center of the Town of Beginnings. "Ruto-kun?" Suguha asked. "What should we do until it's time to go?" Naruto seemed to ponder this from under the straw hat which hid his face.

"We'll just have to spend some money to upgrade our equipment, get potions and get an inn." He replied. "That's all we can do." Suguha nodded.

Tomorrow would be an important day.

**Next Day, Floor 1, Forest Field**

All of the players made their way through the forest as Diabel led the group. "Remember, Nami-chan. We're supposed to take out the Ruin Kobold Sentinels so the full parties can take on the boss."

"Yeah, I know, Ruto-kun." She replied. The pair were at the back. Naruto felt someone tap his shoulder and turned around. His eyes widened as he saw someone he didn't think to see so soon.

"You guys are leftovers too, huh?" Kirigaya Kazuto asked. Beside Suguha's elder brother was a person in a hooded robe. "I'm Kirito and this is Asuna, my party member." Naruto glance to Suguha who had initially turned stiff but continued as if nothing were wrong.

"My name Naruto and this is my partner and friend, Nami-chan." The cloaked boy replied as he turned and walked forward once more. "We weren't left out, Kirito-san. Nami-chan and I have been a team since the beginning and adding another to our permanent party would throw our equilibrium off."

"Ruto-kun is right, Kirito." Suguha agreed. "I don't know if I'd be able to work with anyone but him now. Even after just one month here in Aincrad, I have grown used to Ruto-kun... I think I would die or go insane without him."

For some reason, those words made Naruto blush a little, though no one could tell.

The walk continued to the top of the tower until the raid group all stood in front of the boss door with Diabel in front, his blade stabbed in the ground. "Alright everyone, I only have one thing to say. Let's win!" He picked up the blade he had and turned quickly, opening the door. "Let's go!"

The room inside was very dark as the group, led by Diabel, walked inside. After everyone was in, it suddenly brightened and a large monster crashed to the ground on its two feet. It was humanoid with dark red flesh and a tail. Its arms and legs were thick and its stomach was as well. In one hand it held a double-sided, crescent shaped ax and the other had a steel buckler. On the thing's stomach was a large white diamond and on its head was a helmet.

Four green bars appeared next to it as well as its name, Illfang the Kobold Lord. Some of its minions also appeared on its sides, each only a quarter of the size of the giant, red beast that towered over the players.

With a roar, the beast rushed forward, as well as the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

Meanwhile, Diabel pointed his sword forward as he commanded, "Commence attack!" The raid party complied and everyone rushed forward. The two groups clashed and Diabel began giving out orders. Naruto and Suguha ignored him as best they could in favor of taking down the minions.

Naruto's new o-katana had a black hilt and silver blade which parried the Kobold minion's polearm. "Nami!" He yelled and jumped back even as the robed girl dashed forward and used her own new katana- one which mirrored Naruto's but had a shorter blade- to stab into the armored monster's throat and slashed outward.

The Kobold would've survived for a second more had Naruto not pulled on the thing's mace and lunged forward, stabbing through the creature's visor and making it explode. The robed duo glanced around before seeing another of the goblin-like creatures and dashed forward.

It was the last of the minions, since Kirito and Asuna were nearly done with theirs. Suguha jumped high and launched a spinning kick to its helmet while Naruto lunged forward and bisected it at the waist as it began to fall.

The pair looked at the boss and saw that its final bar was in red as it threw the ax and buckler away. "Looks like the information was right." Kibaō said with a smirk.

"Watch out, I'll go." Diabel said and ran forward.

"We were supposed to surround it as a group." Suguha said from beneath her hat. Naruto nodded in agreement.

**That's not a Talwar! It's a nodachi! **Naruto thought as Illfang pulled out a large sword with a forked point. **It's not the same as in the beta test!** "No!" Naruto yelled. "Jump back!" Kibaō turned and looked at the cloaked figure as he rushed forward.

Illfang suddenly jumped up as Diabel ran forward and jumped off one pillar to another before diving down and hitting Diabel and slashing again to bat him past the crowd of players. "Diabel!" Kibaō shouted before Illfang landed in the center of the raid parties. It roared.

Naruto ran to the blue-haired man's side as he lay there. "Diabel-san!" He kneeled beside him as Suguha was on the other side. He pulled out a potion to hand it to the leader of this expedition. "Why'd you try to do it alone?" Naruto asked as Diabel's red bar was depleting.

He was surprised when Diabel stopped Naruto from giving him the vial of red liquid. "You were... a beta tester, weren't you? You know what I was doing." Naruto's eyes widened behind his hat.

"You were after the last attack bonus item weren't you? You were a beta tester too." It wasn't a question.

Diabel smiled weakly. "Please... defeat... defea the boss. For everyone..." Naruto's eyes were wide as Diabel exploded into bluish-white particles.

**Diabel-san... **he thought sadly. **You... you are different than the rest... you weren't just worried about survival. You wanted everyone to be safe and have hope...**

**You were a beta just like me, but you never abandoned the others... you fought well and led us brilliiantly.**

Naruto stood and turned to the boss, Suguha standing by his side. **You wanted to protect them, no matter the price. **"Nami-chan..."

"Let's go, Ruto-kun." She replied and the boy removed his hat, showing a face full of anger.

He dashed forward at an insane speed cultivated through leveling, kendo and his Uzumaki Blood abilities. His o-katana was in hand, gripped tightly.

Illfang slashed down with his nodachi, but Naruto slashed with his own sword, knocking it aside. "Nami! Switch!" He yelled and the girl rushed forward, sword slicing into the boss's side.

He jumped up and bounced off the pillars again, aimina diving slam of his blade for the bulk of players, but Naruto jumped as well, slashing to intercept the beastly boss of the first floor, sending it to the ground.

The two robed individuals stood next to each other even as the monster regained its stance and rushed only them. It was mad, or as mad as an AI can get.

Naruto and Suguha tensed before dashing forward at insane speeds. Their blades were held next to each other as they went an exact speed together. They locked their arms together and suddenly jumped, spinning in a cyclonic drill.

This was one of the moves their teamwork had created. A sword skill only two people with perfected teamwork can accomplish and a part of the Uzumaki Blood Clan Bonds skill tree. **"Drilling Razor!" **They said at once even as the drill shattered through the boss, exploding him.

The others had wide eyes up until the moment the status screens popped up. 'Congratulations! Floor 1 has been cleared!' They each got an equal amount of col and were celebrating.

Naruto and Suguha, meanwhile, landed and were crouching. Both were a little short of breath. "That move still needs work." Suguha noted with Naruto agreeing.

A pop-up appeared then for them. 'Congratulations! You earned the Collaboration Last Attack Bonus Items: Black Crescent and White Blizzard!'

"That was amazing... no wonder you didn't get any other party members." Naruto and Suguha turned to see Kirito and Asuna. Egil was also there.

"It was splendid swordsmanship and cooperation. This victory is yours." The ax-wielder said with a smile.

"Not really..." Naruto said. "We just toom care of the last bit." Despite that, the other players were clapping for him.

"Why?" Everyone turned the person who suddenly said that. "Why did you let Diabel die?"

"Let him die?" Naruto asked when Kibaō suddenly yelled out.

"Of course! You knew that technique the boss used! If you'd told us about that up front, he wouldn't have died!"

Those who had just applauded him mumbled. "They must be beta testers!" One accused.

"That's how they knew all the boss's attack patterns!"

"They knew amd didn't tell us!"

"I bet there are more here! Come out!" Everyone began looking around at each other, daring one to admit it. Naruto glanced at Suguha. She nodded. **This is bad, at this rate...**

They took another look at the screens and an idea struck Suguha. "Follow along." She mouthed the words to her partner.

"Hey, come on..." Egil tried to calm Kibaō down when everyone heard nearly mad laughter and the giggling of a woman who belongs in psychiatric care.

"Oh come now, I really wish you wouldn't do that." Suguha said as she stood up, dusting off her robe.

"Comparing us to _those _weaklings?" Naruto also stood and they began walking forward.

"Most of those worthless betas were complete noobs whi just got lucky."

"These guys could even beat them, huh Nami-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Probably." Though her face was unseen, you could practically _hear _the evil smirk as she giggled again. "We know so much because..."

"We got higher than any other player in the closed beta. We've fought tougher bosses with the same patterns and beat them."

"Not even information brokers know as much as Ruto-kun and me." She continued.

"Y-you're worse than betas, you're cheaters. You two are beaters!" Kibaō yelled.

Naruto smirked and used his foot to flip his hat right in front of him back to his head, covering his face. "Beaters? I like it." The crowd parted like the Red Sea for the pair as they made their way forward to the second floor ladder. Naruto turned his head slightly to regard them witth a final, insidious grin before following Suguha up the ladder.

The game had only just begun.

**Well?**

**I just know someone is going to comment on Naruto and Suguha being too powerful but... two kendo practitioners in the real world making collaboration skills isn't too far off. Plus, Kayaba's choice for Naruto's unique skill has surprises all centered around a party of two.**

**And I did say strong Naruto in the summary.**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	5. Chapter IV

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya! Orpheus Kidwell is back once more! Who's ready for the next exciting installment of my first and only Naruto/SAO crossover? I know I am.**

**Chapter IV: Wherever You Are**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online.**

"That was... interesting." Naruto commented as he ascended to the top of the ladder and both Suguha and him walked on the road, seemingly uncaring. "You could've reunited with Kazuto-san, Sugu-chan."

"No, I can't." The girl said as she looked at the ground. "I... I don't know why, but I can't yet. No... I do know why. If I were to reveal myself now... I would have to make a choice that I can't make."

"What choice is that?" Naruto asked as they walked further, a town coming into sight.

"I... I can't tell you yet." Naruto turned his violet gaze her direction. "Please don't ask me again. I will tell you... not now, though. When... when a quarter of the floors are cleared I'll tell you. Alright?" Naruto shrugged.

"Whenever you're ready, Sugu-chan. I'm just glad the betas won't have such a hard time."

"Yeah... after that little performance, we'll get all the haters." Suguha said as she cracked a smile.

"That was the point, right? That way Kazuto-san and the others don't have such a hard time."

"Yeah..." Suguha nodded. "My big brother is unsocial enough as it is... if he was hated by others he might turn into a solo player and I don't know how long it would be before he died. Even if I'm smaller, I want to protect him."

Naruto heard the desperation in her voice and reached over around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "Hey, Sugu-chan, don't be so sad. You're a great sister. I'd be glad to have a sister half as great as you."

Meanwhile, Suguha was madly blushing at the closeness of Naruto to her. Good thing the hat on her head hid it completely. "No... my big brother hates me..."

Naruto sighed and seemed to hold her tighter. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you... just like I'm sure onee-chan doesn't completely hate me..."

"Naruto-kun..." she whispered. "Can you tell me about your family? I've told you all about mine already."

"You... really want to know?" He asked and Suguha nodded. Naruto sighed as they kept walking and felt Suguha wrap her arm around his waist. For some reason this made his heartbeat quicken and his face grew a little warm, but he got them under control.

"Where to start? Well... you already know the Uzumaki family is old. We've been around since before the feudal era. And the Uzumaki were always known for our swordsmanship and our family loyalty. In recent years though... the Uzumaki family fell back into their old ways."

"Old ways?"

"The Uzumaki family was once one of the most powerful and feared ninja clans of Japan. Assassination, espionage, scouting, poisoning... you name it and my family did it, for a price. Our blades stopped holding honor when we used them for such tasks. At the turn of the twentieth century, a small portion of my family took the old ways of the ninja back up and became feared even by the Yakuza at their height of power.

"Then... twenty-something years ago, tragedy struck. During a family reunion of the Uzumaki in our ancestral castle and home in Uzushio Prefecture, the Yakuza struck. Members of th gang from Kumo prefecture, Kiri prefecture and Iwa prefecture attacked without warning and even though every individual from the Uzumaki was killed none of the Yakuza survived."

Suguha's eyes were wide upon hearing what her partner said. His whole family had died before he was born? Her problems seemed so insignificant... "There were a few survivors though. My great-grandmother Mito didn't go because she considered herself a Senju. My own grandmother Tsunade also considered herself a Senju and never even took it upon herself to learn kendo. Then there was... my mother."

"Who was your mother?"

"The kendo grandmistress Uzumaki Kushina." Suguha gasped. She knew who Kushina was. What respectable kendo practitioner didn't know about the woman heralded as 'the greatest kendo master in centuries'? She easily defeated other masters such as Momochi Zabuza, Aoi and Hoshigaki Kisame even taking on and defeating Hozuki Mangetsu after a long battle where they appeared evenly matched.

Suguha didn't know how she hadn't made a connection between Kushina and Naruto. Same red hair, same violet eyes, both kendo prodigies and they shared clan names even! "Kaa-chan was such a good person." She heard him continue. "She valued family above all else and would help blood no matter the cost to herself. She was so compassionate and caring... unless you made her mad. She could be really scary." Naruto smiled.

"I remember one time I got bullied in fourth grade by this older boy Hyūga Neji at Konoha Middle and came home with a black eye and as soon as kaa-chan saw me... I think Neji's father and uncle nearly soiled themselves."

"And your dad?" She immediately regretted asking as his eyes showed only pain. She could tell from her head's position on his shoulder.

"Tou-san is always too busy to pay attention to me. He spends time with my nee-san to make sure she keeps up her grades through university so she can take over Argus one day." That statement made Suguha's eyes widen again.

"Who's your father?"

"Namikaze Minato." Naruto answered off-handedly. "He probably doesn't even care that I'm in here except for the good publicity and sympathy it'll get him that not even the family of the CEO was safe from Akihiko-san's plot."

"Well... I'm sure your mother and sister will care and are very worried."

"Mito-nee-san... she used to be very close to me. No matter what, she always had time to help me or play with me. All the way to when I was twelve she was the second-most important person to me after kaa-chan. After that... she just started to drift. I don't know why."

"And Kushina-san?"

"She... died in a plane crash two and a half years ago."

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I didn't know, it wasn't even on the news."

"No... tou-san couldn't have that. Only a handful of people know she died. After it happened, I couldn't even sleep. I was so depressed that I nearly went and began to cut myself. I didn't... my aunt Mikoto stopped me. She let me live with her for two years when she found out tou-san was ignoring me. She was kaa-chan's best friend and Koto-oba-chan was the only reason I got out of depression."

Suguha squeezed Naruto's waist a little, tearing up at Naruto's story. He didn't stop though, as if he was possessed and simply _couldn't _stop. "My grades deteriorated to barely passing after I lost kaa-chan for a while until Koto-oba-chan forced me to study again in return for me being able to continue doing the one thing that made me feel whole for a little bit. Kendo was the only thing I had to remind me of her besides the necklace I always wear."

His arm that wasn't around Suguha rose up as he placed his ruby spiral necklace between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing his thumb across it tenderly... it was precious to him. "Then I met my mother's friend and father's employee... Akahiko Kayaba-san. It was just after our fight in the regional tournament."

"You... you know him?"

"He wanted me to beta and I accepted. Akahiko-san had much respect for kaa-chan and many of the sword skills were her ideas. Akahiko-san wanted me to test the feeling of the game as an actual kendo practitioner and in exchange he made me the only one allowed to use an o-katana, he made this necklace and he gave me my unique skill tree. He never thought to tell me about his plan though..."

"You can't let anyone know that, Ruto-kun!" Suguha nearly screamed and stopped, making him stop as well. "If anyone found out you were a beater _and _you know... _him_, everyone will want you dead!"

"Maybe that's for the best..." Naruto commented. His cheek suddenly stung and his face quickly turned as Suguha's open palm struck him with a considerable force. He slowly turned his head back and looked at his partner. Her hat was on the ground so he could easily see the tears leaking from her eyes.

"Shut up! Just shut up and listen to me! You're life is important! I don't care who your family is, who you know, if you were a beta or if you helped Akahiko Kayaba make this game a death trap. You are important, Naruto. Don't ever think different... never!" The redhead looked at his ravenette companion with wide eyes. "I've known you for a long time, Naruto. I always noticed you in school, even if you never spoke to barely anyone. I've always liked you... and then you stayed with me for this whole month.

"You've saved my life more times than I can count and I need you to do it one more time. If you die... if I lose the one person I've grown accustomed to and need... I'll take my katana and make sure I join you in the afterlife!" Violet orbs were wide as cerulean ones looked at them with passion. "I've fallen in love with you, Uzumaki Naruto and without you I'm not whole."

He was paralyzed by her confession. What could he say? Did he love Kiragaya Suguha? He was surely attracted to her... the girl was a combination of tough and cute he found was very pleasing. She was also the one person he found he was closest to. Since his kaa-chan left, he hadn't been close enough to _anyone _to tell them a fraction of the things he had just told Suguha.

He definitely trusted her with his life implicitly. He had to. She was easy to be around and by this point, the two could know just what the other was thinking or about to say just by how well they knew each other.

Alone, the two things would not equal love... but what about together?

He began to remember different times with the girl before him while in Aincrad. Slowly, as more good memories surfaced within that month than he had with anyone besides his kaa-chan and he found that he indeed had an answer.

Suguha's eyes widened as Naruto placed a hand on her cheek. "I... don't know if what I feel for you is love in the way you mean. I do have strong feelings for you, Sugu-chan and I promise not to die if for no other reason than to protect you." Suguha's eyes brightened with happiness. They did even more as Naruto leaned forward, as if to kiss her. Instead he bent down and picked her straw ha from the ground and placed it on her head. "And as much as I would love to show my feelings now, others will come soon. We need to go."

Suguha nodded with a deep blush. "Of course..." She was still happy though. These feelings had ate her inside for the past few days and she had just needed a good time to confess them. And Naruto had all but said he loved her back the same way.

Some might say that she is far too young to know when she was in love but age is but a number. And she just knew... it was simply too strong of a feeling to ignore. **Ruto-kun... wherever you go I will follow. Wherever you are, that is the place I belong.**

**And that's it!**

**If you've read my other stories, you know I like to start pairings sooner rather than later and this is no exception. I just figured that if Suguha as Leafa fell in love with Kirito the character in two or three days, a month is more than enough for her to fall in love with Naruto.**

**And come on, after all he's been through Naruto totally deserves someone as great as Sugu.**

**One last thing. I'm in a bit of a predicament here... something very hard to figure out. I'm trying to plan the ALO arc currently and I'm missing one vital thing.**

**Yui is extensively important for that arc and I have yet to make a decision on my own, so you guys make it for me. Should Yui remain the daughter of Kirito and Asuna or become the daughter of the two main character of this fic, Naruto and Suguha?**

**There's a poll on my profile and it looks like Naruto/Suguha are winning. I will close the poll sometime in mid-May to early-June probably because it will take me that long to get to that point, in all likelihood. I have planned this story to be pretty long.**

**Thanks in advance for your help, my awesome readers.**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	6. Chapter V

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya all! Orpheus has decided to once again release another chapter of this! You guys are giving it so much love it's already in the top ten in Naruto/SAO crossovers for Favorites, Follows and Reviews after not even two weeks.**

**Second, the poll is still up for voting and so far it is getting close, but Naruto and Suguha are winning. To those who'd rather have KiritoxAsuna win, you must vote! I have plotlines ready for either scenario, but I don't know which one to write.**

**And lastly, some thought it was a bit early for Suguha's confession, but it's not like I'll have them having sex or marrying so early guys. Thirteen and fourteen is a perfectly reasonable age for a first boyfriend/girlfriend.**

**Chapter V: The Farmer's Daughter Part I**

"Kirito!" Kirito looked around and saw that Asuna was looking at him with a slight glare and hands on her hips. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Sorry..." he apologized. "I was miles away."

The pair were in the middle of a forest, walking along the path to the next town on the second floor. It was ten days since the mysterious pair of beaters had defeated Illfang with their teamwork and then left and Kirito's thoughts had been on them. He could've swore he'd seen the redhead before and the name Naruto was so familiar...

"Well, come back to reality." Asuna sighed. "What will I ever do with you? I should've just turned solo again..."

"And died out here?" Kirito asked. Asuna glared at him, holding the hilt of her sabre as if she was humoring the option of stabbing him. "N-not that you're not perfectly capable of defending yourself! I just mean... there's power in numbers."

Asuna looked at him before nodding and letting go of her sword, leading the way further down the road. "As I was trying to tell you, I heard a rumor that there's a quest up the road here. A simple fight really, nothing near Illfang's level. All we have to do is track down the Quest NPC's daughter who was kidnapped by some bandits and defeat the leader while rescuing her."

"Seems simple enough." Kirito commented as they walked. "How much can the info be trusted?"

"It's a reliable source. Plus, the quest is on the way to our next destination, anyways. If I lose a little Col, I'll live."

"Good point." The raven-haired male of the duo agreed. Suddenly, Asuna stopped and Kirito looked at her. "What's wrong, Asuna?"

"Look..." she said while looking forward. Kirito turned and his eyes widened infinitesimally. Iot was the only two-person guild here in SAO. A pair that was quickly making a namme for themselves after what had been dubbed the "Illfang Incident".

"The Akatsuki..." he spoke.

Two figures cloaked in red clouds rising over the darkness, faces covered by their straw hats and wielding two rare blades only teamwork can produce. Even then, the information brokers found out that those blades were a rare drop and both katana-types. Not many had chosen to wiield katana-type blades for their character and so the drop itself would only be useful to a select few.

The figure on the left turned after Kirito's utterance and the boy couldn't help but shiver. These two were on another level. He already knew they would become fearsome. The battle a week and a half ago had proved it.

"Look at who it is, Nami-chan." The other turned from her position and saw them, waving.

Kirito followed Asuna as she walked up to the pair. That's when he noticed that they were in front of a Quest NPC, a moment from starting the quest. The pop-up screen asking permission was in front of the male beater and he was literally about to press yes.

"Let us join you." Asuna stated. It was a request... but anything the Tsundere said generally came out as a command. The cloaked players gave a glance at each other that seemed to communicate an entire conversation in one look.

"Sure." The redheaded male said with a shrug. "Four is better than two."

"Wait... you were against us helping just ten days ago with Illfang!" Kirito argued. "What gives?"

"This battle won't put anyone's life in danger." Nami told them.

"Plus, the faster we do this, faster we can level up and faster we finish this floor." Naruto continued. "So I don't mind temporarily teaming up."

"Plus... you seem like good people. Maybe we can get to know each other better and even become friends?" Nami suggested.

"Then, let's begin, Naruto-san, Nami-san." Kirito replied with Asuna nodding. So, Naruto acepted the quest titled 'The Farmer's Daughter'.

""Please! Please help me! My daughter has been taken by bandits!"

"Which way did they go?" Asuna asked.

"Into the forest there!" He exclaimed. Naruto immediately walked in the direction the NPC had pointed with Nami close by, Kirito and Asuna just behind them.

"You're stalling, Sugu-chan." Naruto said in a barely audible voice without turning his head. His female partner and, more recently, girlfriend walked next to him, one hand on her blade's hilt. "Why?"

"I... have no idea what you mean." She replied.

"Kazuto-san is right there... so close to you. Yet, you don't reveal yourself?" Naruto frowned. "I won't say anything, but I'm curious. Whatever the reason, don't take too much time."

"Wait up!" Kirito and Asuna caught up to the other duo then.

"Sorry." Naruto apologized sinncerely. "I am used to a quick pace and did not know you two would have trouble keeping up." Asuna's forehead grew a tick mark.

"Did you just call us slow?" Naruto smirked under his hat while his eyes glinted mischievously and his lips rose in a fox-like smirk to match his whisker birthmarks.

"I simply implied your normal speed must not be equal to the pace Nami-chan and I travel." The redhead said off-handedly.

"Oh dear..." Suguha sighed. "He's at it again."

"At what?" Kirito asked. Suguha glanced at him and swallowed. **N-not yet. Not until... I won't tell him yet.**

She somehow managed to speak normally and give no suspicious signs. "Well, when Ruto-kun sees the opportunity... he just loves to mess with people. He's a prankster at heart. Asuna-san was just the unlucky target this time."

The pair looked back and saw Asuna had lost her patience and was chasing the redhead with her sabre now, "You two are very close. Nami-san?"

"Yes?"

"Say... back in the boss room, after Illfang died, that wasn't true, was it? The whole speech you and Naruto-san made?" Suguha sighed and shook her head. "I knew it, but... why? Now everyone hates you two."

"It's because..." Suguha was silent a moment. "It was better we take the responsibility. The betas would've been hated... despised... targeted. If we took the burden, then they could live peacefully until the game is won. Ruto-kun and me... we'll work hard enough for every personwho can't! Even if only one other person is living, the two of us will work twice as hard to become better and make them proud!"

Kirito suddenly stopped and Suguha turned. "Kirito-kun?"

"I'm sorry... it's just... what you said reminded me of someone." He smiled and walked again, Suguha at his side. "You have the same drive she does."

"Really? This girl must be special to you."

"Very much so."

Meanwhile... "Get back here so I can stab you!"

"Um... no."

Asuna was still busy chasing her fellow redhead down with her sabre. Every time she thought she had him though... **Why can't I hit him! **"Come on, hit me A-su-na-chan." He said each syllable distinctly and weaved away from another flurry of lunges.

"Stay... still!" Asuna was bent at the waist, catching her breath.

"You okay?" Naruto asked, looking at the older girl. "We can take a break."

Asuna looked up at him with wide eyes. This was all a... a... "Is this all a game to you?"

"Well... yeah." Naruto replied, hands interlocked behind his head. "That's what it is, right? A giant game. The rules are different than we first thought and the stakes are higher than what each player intended, but it's all a giant game." Asuna caught her breath and looked at him evenly. "And sure, I want to win. Sure, everyone does. I know you weren't going to kill me though. Just some fun. And really, what's the point in winning a game if you don't have fun?"

For the first time, Asuna looked at the male half of the Akatsuki, a guild everyone thought was ruthless and cheaters, in a different light. "You... how old are you anyways?" She asked and the boy looked at her with a grin, his hat tilted enough to show his violet eyes.

"Thirteen since October." He replied and turned around walking at a relaxed pace, still having his hands behind his head. **S-so young... and yet... he doesn't act scared. The thout of dying in here hasn't even crossed his mind... almost like...**

"Almost like this is the place he belongs..." she whispered to herself.

**And, cue the protests!**

**Short, yes, I know. My muse is a bit stingy at the moment though. I'll definitely finish up the quest next chapter and include more character interaction.**

**As for why Suguha isn't revealing herself just yet... why don't I leave that a secret? You are all welcome to guess though.**

**Lastly, to those who wanted a deviation from canon and also to those who accused me of giving Naruto and Suguha Kirito and Asuna's places in the plot, here you are. I hope this alleviates the pressure being put on me a little bit.**

**I mean, come on, you guys are absolutely heartless sometimes! Just kidding! Sort of...**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	7. Chapter VI

**The Place I Belong**

**Heya all! Orpheus here with another exciting chapter of this story!**

**Shall we begin?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Quote of the Day: "Blood is thicker than water." -Ancient Proverb**

**Chapter VI: Outside**

_"And in other news, there has still been no sign of Akihiko Kayaba even nearly two months after his killer game was released. The Japanese government has declared all those afflicted to be moved to hospitals, of which approximately ninety percent have. Deaths from the game have slowed some, it seems however._

_"Thanks to Namikaze Minato, CEO of Argus and father of one of those stuck in SAO, we also have a way to watch things in-game. The live feeds, about one hundred so far, are linked on both the Argus and our own websites._

_"We are all hoping this game can be defeated soon and Akahiko captured. We will update this story as we can."_

"No wonder Naruto hated you!"

"My son did not hate me." The news coverage was in the background as three individuals were in the Namikaze Mansion living room. Mito sat at a computer, hands clasped in prayer. Arguing were Uchiha Mikoto and Namikaze Minato, the godmother and father of Naruto.

"How would you know? He nearly commited suicide on multiple occasions because you refused to even acknowledge him! After Kushi-chan died... Naruto-chan already was in such a state of depression from the death of his mother, and then you and Mito just treat him worse than dirt, as if he's air and not even worth your notice!"

Minato growled at the woman testing his nerves. "You dare say such things in my own house?"

"You're damn right I dare. Don't worry about my being here longer though." Mikoto turned around and headed to the door. "I refuse to be around people who abandoned Kushi-chan's principles of family." She opened the door and just as she was about to leave... "And as soon as he wakes up, teme, Naruto is legally in my custody, according to the Japanese court system. I have all the documentation kept safe. This was yor plan, right? To drive Naruto-chan away? Well, it worked wonderfully." And she slammed the door.

Minato scowled and left the room, going to his upstairs office and leaving Mito alone.

The girl herself was a few inches under six feet with two, long ponytails of blonde hair, whisker-like birthmarks she shared with her brother, bright blue eyes and wearing a simple yukata of pure red for the press meeting she and her father would be attending soon.

Her eyes were puffy red though as she watched the private feed which was centered on her brother while he was in-game. "O-otouto... I'm so sorry... please forgive me. I didn't realize what ignoring you would do."

Onscreen, she saw as he wielded the o-katana just as well as her mother. He weaved through two goblin bandits and turned, beheading them simultaneously even as the girl he was always with appeared behind him and they ran, her hidden behind his back. Naruto lunged and slashed the boss, being blocked, and she used his back to jump up and flip, landing a critical hit to the bandit boss's head.

"I was so stupid... as soon as you get out though, I swear I'll be a better sister, Naruto. Even if it hurts... I'll do it!"

**Unknown Island of Japan, Underground Facility**

"He seems to be doing rather well..." Akihiko spoke. "And by allowing two more players in his circle who are obviously skilled, his potential only increases."

"Can he win though?" Another voice spoke from the shadows.

"Of course he can, he was taught well." Akihiko said. "I am counting on his winning, you know. He doesn't even use the sword skills of the game."

"Collaborations." A third, feminine voice pointed out.

"Yes... those aren't skills I programmed though. The Uzumaki Blood secret skillset I coded differently than anything else in-game. Naruto and Nami are creating their own sword skills." The male voice gasped.

"You made him an Admin!?"

"Not quite. I just gave him limited Admin powers to create new coding, not change coding I already have in place. He subconciously used it to create the Collaboration Techniques. His Uzumaki skillset is half based on the family's history and half-based on his subconscious imagination."

"And if he learns of his powers to create new sword skills and just downright code?"

"If the information becomes his knowledge, then he gains an advantage over others. He has no prior knowledge of programming, however."

"Someone he meets may, though."

"Ah yes... that is true. I will not change it though. Not after I made two deals with it as leverage. I do not go back on my word."

"See that you don't, Kayaba-kun." The female voice said with an audible smirk.

"Of course I will. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Not yet." The male voice said with a nearly emotionless voice.

"Stop being so negative, Itachi-kun!" The female voice reprimanded. "Kayaba-kun has done nothing to lead us astray."

"Alright, sensei. I will try."

"Ah... this looks a little bad..." Kayaba said as he watched the screen. "It seems Nami and Kirito know each other but Nami neglected to say anything. What will happen now...?"

"Naruto will certainly do what is best." Itachi said. "Right sensei?"

"No doubt." The pride was evident in her voice even as he began speaking to the two she knew to be Kirigaya Kazuto and Suguha. She had taught one of them after all. "Naruto-chan has always been a leader."

"He takes after you in that aspect," Akahiko said calmly as Naruto seemed to have calmed down the entire group, "Uzumaki Kushina-chan."

**By popular demand, I have done a chapter for the events on the outside world!**

**I planned on this anyways as the mini-arc wasn't important and this does more than it would've. Wouldn't you say?**

**Next Chapter: Suguha revealed! What is Kirito's reaction to this and how will it affect the SAO universe and the Akatsuki?**

**Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


End file.
